![]() The practice is not illegal, nor is it confined to Justice companies CHN discovered many companies, particularly in Central Appalachia, using temporary cessation for extended periods. Unreclaimed, idle mines mean ongoing pollution and community health impacts, while miners are put out of work indefinitely. Records compiled by CHN show coal mines belonging to Justice have been idle for years at a time. ![]() Temporary cessation is meant to be a short-term response to low coal prices – in Virginia (and other states) it must be reapproved every six months. Under this status, regulators allow miners to pause both production and land reclamation. Instead of closing the operations and restoring the land, his companies often place their mines into ‘temporary cessation’. In Virginia, only one of Justice’s approximately 20 mines still produces coal. While, for years, he has exploited a regulatory loophole that allows him to leave mines idle and defer environmental clean-up, a Climate Home News investigation has found. Under his watch, employment at those companies has plummeted. Sign up for our newsletter.įew politicians have bound themselves more tightly to the fortunes of coal miners than West Virginia governor Jim Justice.Īlongside his son, James Justice III, Justice owns a coal empire spanning dozens of mining companies across Appalachia. NDMA warned that the situation will become dire in the course of the year putting into sharp focus Kenya’s ability to produce enough food for its population.Climate Home News is one of the world’s most trusted independent sources of climate politics news. ![]() The failure of short rains will have a negative impact on the food as this season’s downpour plays a critical role in supplementing the crop from the main season. The National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) said the food situation in Kenya has deteriorated with the number of people in need of relief rising from 2.1 million in August to 2.8 million at the end of last year, occasioned by the failed October-November December short rains. The number of Kenyans facing starvation has grown by 33 percent in the last five months setting the stage for a potential food crisis. This has seen the cost of basic food items like maize and vegetables hit record highs, lifting consumer inflation rose to 6.47 percent year-on-year in April from 5.56 percent a month earlier.Īgriculture accounts for 22.6 percent of Kenya’s gross domestic product, down from a third three years ago. Official data shows that growth in the country’s agricultural production dropped to negative 0.1 percent last year from a rise of 5.2 percent posted in 2020, mainly attributed to poor rains that led to reduced crop and animal production. Now, Kenya seeks large-scale commercial production of food crops like maize, beans and vegetables, targeted at the domestic market. The policy seeks to provide a framework for utilisation of idle land owned by public institutions for large-scale commercial agricultural production,” said a dispatch from the Cabinet meeting held on Thursday. “Cabinet approved the Policy on large-scale commercialisation of public land held for agricultural production. Some of the parastatals holding vast but idle land include the Kenya Railways, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, the East African Portland Cement, Kenya Prisons, and the University of Nairobi. Kenya now seeks a model where thousands of acres of public land will be leased to private investors for food and cash crop production that relies less on rain-fed agriculture in favour of irrigation. The Cabinet on Thursday approved the seizure of idle land in efforts to boost food security and reduce the cost of living.įood prices have rallied in recent months on poor weather and a global supply disruptions in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has delivered costly wheat and cooking oil. The government will repossess idle land owned by parastatals and lease it to private investors for commercial agriculture to rev up the production of food for local supply and exports and create new jobs.
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